News Feature

The girls’ basketball team lost its only game over the vacation to an undefeated Bucksport team 45-29. Unfortunately we had our bad quarter right out of the block and trailed 17-4 after the first quarter. We played them even after that, but we couldn’t overcome that big a deficit. Coach Darren Eaton felt that much of the deficit came from transition baskets caused by turnovers early on.

The good news is that we played solid defense against such a strong Class C team. We also got scoring from seven players, although we definitely needed more of it. We did make a rally in the third quarter, but we didn’t have the firepower to sustain it. We really have to play four good quarters to stay with a strong team like Bucksport. Chelsea Brown led us with 15 points, Allison Cormier four, and five other players each with two.

The boys basketball team lost a disappointing game to Penobscot Valley 39-36. We started slow and got down early, but rallied to take the lead 22-18 at the half. In the second half, we suffered from turnovers and missed opportunities. We then went cold in the fourth quarter, settling for outside shots and allowing PVHS to hold on for the win.

This was not a well-played game by us and it cost us the win. With over 20 recorded turnovers, Coach Glenn Billings knows we can do better. We didn’t react well to their zone pressure and the offense sputtered. Nathan Davis led us with 13, Hayden Ciomei 10, and Sam Grindle seven.

Whatever we lacked in the PVHS game, we turned around to beat Bucksport 59-46 on their home court. We attacked the basket with a balanced inside outside offense and played a solid defensive game as well. We led throughout: 13-7 after one, 28-13 at the half, and 39-28 after three.

Bucksport made a run that ended with a couple of quick threes to come within a couple of baskets, but Sam Grindle dropped in a three and we took charge of the lead again. This was definitely redemption for our previous ugly loss. We matched their intensity and were in control of the game. When they rallied, we didn’t fold but rather took back control.

Connor Morey finally found his range and led us with 19 points, Hayden Ciomei played strong defense and still managed 13 points and 10 rebounds, Sam Grindle had 12 points with many assists, and Nathan Davis had nine points.

The girls at 2-3 continue to play up and down as they adjust to working together as a team. We are in twelfth place, but it is too early to put any stock in the Heal Points. Our defense has been our strength as we keep trying to integrate other players besides Janelle Ciomei and Chelsea Brown into the offense. We have a big game against Machias this weekend and then a busy schedule in the two weeks ahead. We will have to step up to the plate and make it happen if we want to be in a good position for the playoffs.

The boys at 2-3 were vaulted into sixth place with the Bucksport win. Again, that doesn’t mean much right now, but we have to keep playing with that intensity. We need Connor Morey and others to keep balancing the scoring so teams can’t just focus on Sam Grindle. This team also has been playing good defense. We have two games this week with Bangor Christian and Machias that we need to win to solidify our position and build our confidence, but we can’t take anything for granted.